Fisher-Price Sesame Street Giggle Gabbers; What's One More Elmo at This Point?
Written: May 26 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: It's ELMO; entertains my toddler; inexpensive and durable.
Cons: No OFF setting or volume control; a bit obnoxious.
The Bottom Line: Tiny Elmo and Cookie Monster fans will be enthralled by Fisher-Price Sesame Street Giggle Gabbers. Parents, perhaps not as much.
|
|
|
| krissingene's Full Review: Fisher-Price Elmo Giggle Gabber |
Add my daughter to the insanely long list of toddlers who are absolutely obsessed with Elmo. Sure, the other Sesame Street muppets are fun too, but nothing beats the furry red monster with the squeaky voice. And so, being that we've been determined all along not to "spoil" our daughter with excessive amounts of toys, she now owns approximately 562,000 different Elmo toys. Among the newest in her collection is the Fisher-Price Sesame Street Giggle Gabber that she found in her basket on Easter Morning. That darn Easter Bunny must reeeeaaaally think he's funny after this little stunt.
Okay, so this toy was actually my idea, being that I've recently been appointed Easter Bunny in addition to my regular parenting duties. There were very few Elmo toys not already residing in our toybox to choose from, and this one was just the right size to fit in the Easter basket - and he did seem cute in the store. You'd think that after sixteen months of parenthood, I'd be smart enough to avoid toys that make noise...but no. I knew my little girl would love him, and that's all that mattered.
~* The Furless Monster *~
Two different Giggle Gabbers are currently available - Elmo and Cookie Monster. Both are the same size and shape, the only real differences being in color and voice. (Cookie Monster is holding a cookie and has more crossed eyes, which is as it should be.) Both toys are molded from hard plastic and stand about 8" tall, with no moving parts except for the mouth. "The mouth" is actually opened when the entire top of the head flops backward from a hinge on the back of the toy - remember the guy with the flip-top head from the Reach toothbrush commercials? Giggle Gabbers are the same way.
The inside of the toy's mouth is black, which somewhat disguises the speaker located there. Also inside the mouth is a small round button, somewhat smaller than a pencil eraser, that causes Elmo to talk when the mouth is closed and the button is pressed.
A small battery compartment is located on the bottom of the toy, just beneath Elmo's feet. A Philips screwdriver is needed to open the compartment, and the toy operates on three AAA batteries, which are included.
I paid about $8 for our Giggle Gabber at K-Mart; they are also available at Wal-Mart, Target and most toy stores.
~* Yippie-Ki-Yi! YAAY! *~
There are several ways to make the Giggle Gabbers giggle and talk. More laid back babies might carefully open and close the mouth - but who am I kidding? No kid is gonna do that! For the most instant gratification, you just grab this toy and shake it. Both Elmo and Cookie Monster are thin enough around the waist and legs that even young toddlers could hold them easily, and no matter which way you move it, the head will flop and noise will result. With just one movement, you'll hear a giggle, word or short phrase - Elmo says "hello", "let's talk", "shake it up" and "what's up?" When shaken more quickly, the toy will giggle hysterically or say short phrases, a word or two with each flop of the head. A few of Elmo's favorites are "giggle with Elmo", "Elmo's so giggly" and "yippe-ki-yi ya-ay!" He also sings a short "la-la-la" song to the tune of "Do-Re-Mi".
There is, of course, one more way to make the Giggle Gabber talk - one that I might never have thought of, but that my toddler discovered right away. The top of the toy's head can, when shaken violently or pushed, snap into an open position, with the top of the head hanging behind the body, exposing one giant, open mouth. Locked in such a position, the little button inside the mouth is easily accessible, and even tiny fingers can push the button over and over and overandoverandover, making the toy talk with every press of the button. Even better, fast, repetitive pressing of the button can make Elmo stutter, so a typical conversation may sound something like this:
"Heeheehee, what's up? Let's ta-ta-ta-ta-talk. Hellohellohellohellohello! Gigg-giggle wi-wi-with Elmo! Yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip yippie-ki-yi yayayayayayayay!"
Oh no, that isn't annoying in the least! (Insert sarcasm here.) The toy's volume is reasonable - a bit on the loud side, but not deafening. Just loud enough so that you'll miss vital parts of your favorite television show when Elmo is discovered and shaken. There is no volume control, nor is there an OFF switch. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten my daughter's attention when I really didn't want to by kicking the Giggle Gabber or moving something near it just enough to make it giggle. For car trips, I have gone so far as to tape poor Elmo's mouth shut to keep him from chatting for the duration.
~* Wear and Tear *~
Although she loves Elmo, our Giggle Gabber has taken quite a beating in the past two months. He's been thrown from the high chair, kicked across the room and dragged around constantly. And yet, he's still in remarkably good condition - no scratches to speak of, only a bit of paint chipping off of his black eyeballs and orange nose. He just keeps giggling, no matter how hard the impact, and the original batteries are still plugging along. While the hinge makes an unnervingly loud 'crack' when the head snaps backward into a locked position, the hinge seems no worse for the wear; the head is still firmly attached with minimal wobble and seems to be in no danger of coming off anytime soon. I dare say this toy is built to last through one or two more Elmo-obsessed siblings in the future.
~* Overall *~
He's loud, he's annoying, he's sickeningly sweet...and yet, oddly, I don't really mind having our Elmo Giggle Gabber around. Although recommended for children over 18 months of age, my little girl had no trouble figuring this toy out at 13 months, and it quickly became one of her favorites. It never fails to keep her entertained for a short while, if it's not the perfect choice for quiet setting such as church. In the end, it's all about what Rachael likes, and she gives her Giggle Gabber two very enthusiastic, drooly thumbs up.
~* Contact Information *~
Visit Fisher-Price online at www.fisher-price.com or call 1-800-432-KIDS (1-800-432-5437).
A portion of the proceeds from this toy is given to Sesame Workshop to help fund Sesame Street and related educational projects. Visit Sesame Street online at www.sesamestreet.com.
~* Also By Fisher-Price *~
Cradle Swing B0639 * Deluxe Take-Along Swing * Healthy Care Booster Seat * Kick 'N Play Piano * Laugh & Learn Learning Home * Laugh & Learn Learning Phone * Laugh & Learn Learning Table * Link-a-doos On-the-Go Goldfish * Link-a-doos Teething Ring * Ocean Wonders Aquarium * Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncer * Peek-a-Blocks Barnyard Friends Blocks * PowerTouch Baby: I Know My Letters * PowerTouch Baby Learning System * Sesame Street 3-in-1 Baby Explorer * Sesame Street Light-Up Pet Pals: Ernie * Sparkling Symphony Twinkle Dancer * Swim 'n Spin Fish Rattle
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 8
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
krissingene
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Kristin
Location: Southern VA
Reviews written: 267
Trusted by: 119 members
About Me:
The strength of Motherhood is greater than Natural Laws. -Barbara Kingsolver
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.